BUFFALO, N.Y. - Kelsey Beynnon (Burlington, Vt.) blew past her previous career-high, scoring a game-high 26 points as the Marist women's basketball team opened the game on a 17-0 run and never looked back, defeating Canisius 81-52 Friday night at Koessler Athletic Center.
Beynnon scored her points, which was a season-high for Marist, on a career bests 10-12 from the floor and 4-5 from three-point range. Leanne Ockenden (Syracuse, N.Y.) also set a personal best with 18 points. Casey Dulin (Milford, Conn.) joined them in double figures with 10 points while also adding seven rebounds and four assists. Corielle Yarde (Reading, Pa.) had a game-high eight rebounds to go along with five assists and Natalie Gomez (Andover, Mass.) more than doubled her career-high with nine assists. Emily Stallings (Newburgh, N.Y.) came off the bench and scored seven points and handed out three assists. The Red Foxes shot 55% for game, including 48% from behind the three-point line.
All five starters scored in the opening streak for Marist (18-7, 13-1 MAAC), which took up the first seven and a half minutes, and the defense had five steals and held Canisius (12-13, 6-8 MAAC) scoreless on their first nine shots. to start the game.
Dulin started the scoring with a short jumper. A couple of possessions later Brandy Gang (Hartville, Ohio) hit a three-pointer from the corner and Beynnon scored her first basket of the night on a layup to up the lead to seven. All three scores came off of assists from Yarde, who then added a short jumper of her own, following a steal by Dulin on the defensive end, that forced the Golden Griffins to call timeout.
On their first possession following the timeout, Yarde converted a nice pass by Beynnon into an easy layup and then Beynnon and Ockenden hit back-to-back treys to complete the run.
Canisius made a bit a run at the end of the half, including hitting a three-pointer just before the buzzer, to cut the Marist lead to 15 at the break at 37-22. Beynnon led all scorers at halftime with 11 points. Ockenden had seven points and Yarde and Dulin had six and five rebounds, respectively.
Right out of the break, Beynnon hit a pair of three-pointers, giving her three on the night, to extend the Red Foxes lead back 19 at 43-24.
After a Golden Griffins' three-point play, Marist broke the score wide open with a 15-3 run that put them ahead 58-30 with 10:21 left to play.
Ockenden started the stretch by converting a three-point play. Stallings then found a cutting Beynnon for back-to-back easy lay-ins. Ockenden answered a Canisius trey with one of her own and Dulin fed Yarde for a layup before hitting her own shot form beyond the arc on an assist from Gomez.
The hot shooting continued as five different players hit three-pointers in the final nine minutes. Besides for Ockenden and Beynnon, Emma O'Connor (Lynbrook, N.Y.), Kristina Danella (Manalapan, N.J.) and Briana Holmes (Columbus, Ohio) all got into the action. In all, Marist hit 60% (9-15) of their three-pointers in the second half.
The Red Foxes will wrap up their Buffalo trip Sunday afternoon with a 2 p.m. matchup with Niagara. They will play their final home game of the season next Thursday, Feb. 23 against Iona. Marist will honor their five seniors prior to the game in its Senior Day ceremony.
Notes - Marist leads the all-time series 25-13 and has won the past eight meetings between the two teams... Head Coach Brian Giorgis is now 20-5 in his career versus the Golden Griffins.
